Social dialogue and industrial relations in education: the challenges of multi-level governance and of privatization in Europe

In 2020-2021, the ETUCE is coordinating a new one-year European research project, working in a consortium with the Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium), the University of Naples Federico II (Italy) and the University of Warsaw (Poland). The project IR-EDUREFORM: “Social dialogue and industrial relations in education: the challenges of multi-level governance and of privatisation in Europe” is concerned with how industrial relations (IR) and social dialogue in education sectors have unfolded in the European Union (EU) and in Belgium (French-speaking), Italy, Poland and Sweden, since the onset of the financial crisis in 2008. The comparative analysis is to improve the knowledge base for industrial relations in the education sector in Europe by considering two distinctive developments that are pivotal for understanding the development of IR. These are: 1) the global drive towards liberalisation in education reform and privatisation in and of education patterns, and 2) broader changes in EU governance, including especially the introduction of the European Semester, the intensified focus on social dialogue, and the proclamation of the European Pillar of Social Rights. At EU level and in the four countries mentioned, the project will review how industrial relations and arrangements for social dialogue and collective bargaining in the education sector have unfolded at various levels since 2008, how are they associated with patterns of education reforms and privaitsation, with developments in EU-governance and in particular within the conext of the European Semester, and what are the implications for education personnel’s fair working conditions, professional prerogatives, social dialogue and education quality and equity. In addition, by means of a dedicated survey to education trade unions across Europe, it will review different types of private-sector involvement in education (i.e. infrastructure Public-Private Partnerships, outsourcing of educational services or of support services, innovation-based Public-Private Partnerships and business-education cooperation, operation of public education institutions, etc.) and its impact as identified by those working in the sector. For that purpose, EU and national reports, and a survey report will be prepared outlining the findings and describing the cases. They will form the basis for an overall research report to be published by March 2021, and to be discussed at a research launch event in Brussels, where representatives of ETUCE and other stakeholders and European level social partners will be invited.